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<p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the valuable contribution
made by carers, many of whom spend a significant proportion of their life providing
support to family members or friends. Professionals in health, education, social care
and other parts of the community including employers, have a key role to play in identifying
and signposting those with caring responsibilities to information, advice and support.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Care 2014 is a historic step for carers, for the first
time putting their rights on the same footing as the people they care for. Under the
Care Act, local authorities have an expanded duty to assess carers, removing the previous
test of whether they were providing “regular and substantial” care. This is predicted
to lead to an additional 360,000 carers a year receiving an assessment by 2018/19.
In addition, local authorities are required to ensure that there is a comprehensive
information and advice service available to their local population, specifically including
carers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Under the Act, carers’ assessments will include
a thorough consideration of the impact a caring role has on a carer’s wellbeing and
the outcomes they wish to achieve, including their ability to engage in work, training,
education or volunteering. On the basis of these assessments, local authorities will
have a duty to meet eligible needs for support (and will also be able to meet needs
which are not considered eligible). The Department of Health has provided £104 million
of funding to local authorities for additional carer assessment and support in 2015/16.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Care Act requires National Health Service bodies and local
authorities to co-operate with each other in the exercise of their respective functions
relevant to care and support, including those relating to carers, so we would expect
local authorities and NHS bodies to cooperate in identifying and signposting carers.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, we made it clear in our mandate to NHS England
that by 2015, carers looking after friends and family members should routinely have
access to information and advice about support available, including respite care.
This supports Government investment of £400 million between 2011 – 2015 to improve
NHS support for carers and to enable them to take a break from their caring responsibilities.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Support for carers more broadly is integral to the work NHS
England is leading to improve the quality of life of people with long term conditions.
NHS England published a <em>Commitment to Carers</em> in May 2014 - an action plan
with a series of commitments around eight priorities, including raising the profile
of carers; person-centred, well-coordinated care, commissioning support and partnership
links. NHS England are currently reviewing progress and developing plans for next
steps.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health has
also provided over £2 million in recent years to the professional bodies such as the
Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Nursing, as well as
Carers UK and the Carers Trust, to develop initiatives to raise awareness of carers
among healthcare professionals and to help identify and support carers. Initiatives
have included the recruitment of GP carer champions, work with pharmacy organisations
to identify carers in pharmacy settings, and to identify more carers through the 2014
flu vaccination campaign.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>We recognise
that many carers of working age wish to stay in touch with the job market for their
financial well-being and to enhance their own lives and the lives of those for whom
they care. Many also feel under pressure to give up paid work to care.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>On 30 June 2015 the Government extended a right request flexible working
arrangements after a 26 weeks’ qualifying period, building on a previous entitlement
for some carers. This will help to normalise the kind of flexible working patterns
that can help carers balance different responsibilities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On
13 February the Government launched a joint Department of Health, Government Equality
Office and Department for Work and Pensions investment of £1.6 million in pilots in
nine local authority areas to explore ways in which people can be supported to combine
work and care. Through the scheme, nine pilot areas will explore how professional
support, technology, volunteering, informal networks and support from employers can
be combined to ease the pressure of caring. This will build on the requirement in
the Care Act to consider support for employment as part of an assessment of eligible
needs, set out above.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the Department for Work and Pensions
continues to invest in supporting carers to return to work. For example, income replacement
benefits help people and households on lower incomes, and include a carer premium,
currently £34.60 a week. An equivalent additional amount applies in Pension Credit.
Universal Credit will also include a carer element at the rate of £150.39 per monthly
assessment period. This means that lower-income carers can be better off than others
who receive these benefits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On 1 July my Rt. hon. Friend
the Secretary of State (Mr Jeremy Hunt) announced that I will develop a new carers’
strategy that looks at the best of international practice and examines what more we
can do to support existing carers and the new carers we will need.</p><p> </p>
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